Balochistan’s vast geography, rich mineral and energy resources and untapped human resources potential, provides an opportunity to transform the existing situation. But to do so, we require strategic public policy reforms and we need to foster effective partnerships between communities and local authorities
Devolution of power to grassroots level, to provide better relief to the masses at their doorsteps, is a key governance principle for the Local Government Policy of Balochistan
The Government of Balochistan Policies and Reforms of the Local Government and Local Bodies systems, aim at the further Devolution of Power and the mobilization of all grassroots stakeholders
The Balochistan Rural Development and Community Empowerment (BRACE) Programme, is fully aligned with the Government of Balochistan LG and RD policies. BRACE aims to establish an innovative Government of Balochistan (GoB) Community-Driven Local Government and Rural Development (CD-LG&RD) Policy & Fiscal Framework.
from representative to participatory local governance
Devolution of power to grassroots level, to provide better relief to the masses at their doorsteps, is a key governance principle of Local Government in Balochistan.
This principle is captured in the LG Act (2010) Section 87, which stipulates that a Local Council “may sponsor or promote Community Development projects for its local area, subject to the approval of Government”. The LG Act Section 87 amendment in 2022 further strengthened this principle when “Community Institutions” were specifically mentioned, and accredited and institutionalized as partners in the Local Governance affairs.
The Balochistan Community-Led Local Governance (CLLG) Policy paves the way, and works out the pro-active participation by the mobilized and empowered Community Organizations and Citizens in the Balochistan Local Governance affairs. The innovative CLLG Policy fosters Citizen participation by strengthening their linkage to the 2 tiers of the Balochistan Local Governance systems, the District Council and the Union Councils.
At Union Council level, the CLLG Policy incorporates the Mobilized and Registered Community institutions. Firstly, the CLLG Policy Framework provides transparent Guidelines that specify a criteria-based system to Register and Mobilize Community Institutions, to enable them to become pro-active and institutionalized partners in the Local Government system. Secondly the CLLG Policy facilitates planning processes by the Community Institutions, that result in bottom-up Village- and UC-level Development Plans, based on Community-identified priority-needs and priority development investments, for endorsement by the UC Chairman and Secretary of the Union Council, as integral part of the Government UC Development Plan. A UC Tier that includes these Registered Community Institutions and their Mobilized Citizens, will have a strengthened relationship with the Local Councils, and thereby establishes a genuine “participatory” Local Governance system. At the same time, the integration of CIs at UC level, will make the GoB’s development programmes more effective, as the GoB’s outreach to the household level will be significantly increased
At District Council level the CLLG Policy Framework worked out guidelines to strengthen the role of the District Councils, especially the District Council function of effective development planning in the district, with regard to “drawing up a District Development Programme” as stipulated in section B(k) of the LG Act 2010. The CLLG provides comprehensive development planning guidelines and the establishment of the Joint District Development Committee (JDDC) will ensure the consistent integration of bottom-up community-led District, and UC -Development Plans, into the higher level Government District Development Programme.
The Government of Balochistan (GoB) and the European Union (EU) designed and started implementing (2017 – 2022) the Balochistan Rural Development and Community Empowerment (BRACE) programme, to support the Government of Balochistan in reducing (rural) poverty in the province through a Community Development and Community Empowerment approach, to be framed in a Strategic Policy Framework, that clarifies and stimulates the complementary roles to be played by Local Government, the RSPs and the Development Partners (DP) engaged in Community-Development and Community-Empowerment (CD/CE) in Balochistan
The EU-funded BRACE Programme mobilized five Implementing Partners (IPs);
IMPLEMENTATION PARTNERS FOR BRDCEP GRANT COMPONENT
Two RSPs and an RSP network; the BRSP, NRSP and RSPN, who are working directly in the 9 BRACE districts, targeting 300.000 households and 1.9 million citizens, and empowering communities and building sustainable local community institutions
DAI Human Dynamics (DAI/HD) is to facilitate the Local Government and Rural Development Department (LGRDD) to develop a Strategic Policy and Fiscal Framework for a GoB CommunityDriven Local Government and Rural Development Sector plan, that will foster an enabling environment for strengthening the capacities of local authorities to manage and to involve communities in the statutory local public sector planning, financing and implementation processes.
There are two Technical Assistance Implementing Partners. The Oxford Policy Management (OPM) Consultant is to strengthen the GoB Public Financial Management Systems.
The Local Government and Rural Development Department (LGRDD) of the Government of Balochistan (GoB) is the Government lead counterpart of the BRACE Programme. Other key-Government counterpart departments are; the Planning and Development Department, the Finance Department, the Social Welfare Department, and the Women Development Department, the District Administrations and the Balochistan Rural Development Academy
Government of Balochistan Counterparts
The BRACE-TA component 1, is implemented by DAI/Human Dynamics, and we support the Government of Balochistan, to develop a Community-Driven (CD) Local Government and Rural Development (LG&RD) Policy & Fiscal Framework.
To facilitate the GoB to develop its CD-LG&RD Policy & Fiscal Framework, the BRACETA has developed several institutional and policy reforms; the Strategy and Policy Dialogue Committee (SPDC), the Sector Coordination Committee (SCC) for CDLG&RD, and a Strategic Development Partners Forum (SDPF)
Click on Resources for more information and selected policy documents and Notifications relevant to the GoB CD-LG&RD Policy & Fiscal Framework
Joint District Coordination Committees (JDDCs) have been notified by their respective Deputy Commissioners (DCs) through local arrangements, andby Secretary LGRDD. The JDDC Notification needs streamlining, unification, and is to be issued by theCompetent Authority, the Planning and DevelopmentDepartment (P&DD), with the necessary planning procedures adjustments incorporated in the GoB Planning Manual. JDDCs meetings were conducted onquarterly basis in which LSO representatives,government officials, elected local council members and RSP staff participated. The forum approved identified CPIs from VDPs & UCDPs and expressed satisfactionon the progress of the Programme interventions. The forum provided an opportunity for the LSOs’representatives to review the government plans and discussed strategies improving access to public sector social services.
JDDCs were established in all BRACE Programme districts, to create a bridge and provide a platform for the Community Institutions (CI) and the District /Tehsil level Government, to interact with each other, share development plans, and finalize them according to the local needs and improve local governance through a participative planning approach in which all actors avoid duplication of efforts, build synergies, and listen to the needs and priorities of the communities.The key objective of JDDCs is to create synergies between the RSPs, Community Institutions and local administrations/departments and externally supported development investment and the JDDC has the following functions:
The RSPs share the overall BRACE programme interventions plans and progress at Union Council, Tehsil and District Level. The RSPs will also share CPIs for obtaining approval from the JDDCs.
The LSOs share and review VDPs and UCDPs developed by the community institutions so that the needs identified by the communities be incorporated in the government and other development organizations’ plans.
The government share the Tehsil/District development plans, budget and progress.
Other NGOs and Civil Society Organisations to share their development plans.
Share new development initiatives, research findings and development activities of mutual interest among stakeholders.
DC (Chair)
DHO, DEO, AD LG, AD SWD, AD Livestock, Executive Engineers- C&W/PHE, DFO
Representatives: Local Elected Bodies: LSOs; RSPs; Civil Society/DevelopmentOrganisation, as specified below, with gender equity
Representatives LSOs Tehsil level and/or LSO Network (LSO-N) District Level
Representatives of Government Line Departments at tehsil/district level
Representatives of committees (if exists) to address children and women issues (Child Protection Committee, District Legal Empowerment Committee, etc.);
Representatives of local Elected Bodies including men, women, peasants, minorities, etc.;
Representative of the RSP working in the districts;
Representatives of Civil society organization, work in on community development and women issues; and
Representatives of local media.
A major investment, discussed by the RSPs/Communities and the Government in the JDDC, concerns the Community Physical infrastructure (CPI) Schemes: The BRACE Programme Implementation Manual (PIM) stipulates that the RSPs & Community Institutions (CIs) at the district level closely coordinate with the Local Government, District Councils, and local administration, to develop the district development strategy, that includes Community Physical Infrastructure (CPI) schemes. The proposed CPI schemes are presented in the JDDC meeting for discussion and approval. The Programme engineer of RSP’s justifies the CPI scheme in JDDC meetings also on the basis, the community relevance and need identification, and the financial, technical feasibility and surveys reports. The respective district office of RSPs provided the necessary information to the JDDC to discuss the CPIU in the JDDC meetings. The Criteria for approval of a CPI Scheme are:
Relevance and urgency of the need identified.
Equity considerations.
Impact of the scheme.
Assessment of the project to ascertain that the applicant CI can managed it.
Realistic budgetary allocations.
Sustainability of the project beyond the project life.
The Strategy and Policy Dialogue (SPDC) Committee, was Notified by the Planning and Development Department (P&DD) on 1st March, 2018.
The composition and Terms of Reference (ToR) of the SPDC Steering Committee are as follows:
1. Additional Chief Secretary (Development) |
Chairman |
---|---|
2. Secretary, Finance Department |
Member |
3. Secretary (Planning), Planning and Development |
Member |
4. Secretary, Local Government and Rural Development |
Member |
5. Secretary, Social Welfare Development Department |
Member |
6. Secretary, Women Development Department |
Member |
7. CEO, BRSP/Project Director BRACE (along with EU Consultant) |
Member |
8. Chief Foreign Aid (CFA), |
Secretary |
9. Representative from Program partner NGOs of Community Organizations |
Member |
10. Any Co-opted member if deemed necessary |
Member |
Meet at least twice a year, as and when required, for the progress review of the Project (BRACE) that is being implemented in 9 districts of Balochistan for ensuring government ownership, participation and guidance for implementation;
Lead and guide for strategic regulatory framework and interventions under the Public Finance Management Reform agenda for Balochistan as component of BRACE;
Devise regulatory skeleton and monitoring structure of NGCs/INGCs and other civil society organizations working in Balochistan in line with that of the Federal Government Policies;
While capitalizing on cumulative experiences of all stakeholders, guide for formulation of the policy and downstream (implementation modalities) for sustainable service delivery and social outcomes involving the local authorities of the Local Government System, CSOs, NGOs, development partners/donors working in this sector and the communities as stakeholders;
After formulation of the framework, devise mechanisms for funding of community-led programs through pooling of local sourcing (client financing) and mobilizing donor/development partners funding or otherwise; and
Recommend and roll out capacity building modules to help promote community-led development.
The SCC CD-LG&RD has 4 Working Groups (WGs) which were Notified simultaneously with the SCC-CD-LGRD by the Planning and Development Department (P&DD) on 12th February, 2020.The composition and Terms of Reference (ToR) of the 4 SCC Working Groups are outlined below
WG-1: Legal/Institutional Framework
Additional GoB, Local Government and Rural Development Department - Chairman
Director General Secretary, Local Government and Rural Development Department – Member
Representative of Finance Department – Member
Representative of S&GA Department (Reg. Wing) – Member
Representative of Planning and Development Department – Member
Director, District Coordination, BRACE Technical Assistance – Member
In-charge Election Cell Local Government - Member
Representative of Civil Society (NGOs/INGOs/RSPs) - Member
Representative of Law Department of GoB - Member
Contribute to Local Government and Rural Development Sector Policy;
Review District Profiles;
Input for District Development Plan;
Review progress of Joint District Development Committees (JDDCs);
Situational analysis of the Local Government Act, 2010;
Propose necessary amendments to the Local Government Act, 2010;
Consultation with Law Department for legal input/vetting;
Proposal for viable interventions to maximise the output of LG&RDD; and
Linkages development between demand and supply (Budget).
The SCC CD-LG&RD has 4 Working Groups (WGs) which were Notified simultaneously with the SCC-CD-LGRD, by the Planning and Development Department (P&DD) on 12th February, 2020.
The composition and ToR of the SCC CD-LG&RD 4 Working Groups are outlined below
WG-2: Public Finance (FM) and Public Financial management (PFM) Context:
Secretary, Provincial Local Government Board, LG&RDD - Chairman
Deputy Secretary, Local Government and Rural Development Department - Member
Representative of Finance Department - Member
Representative of Planning and Development Department – Member
Representative of Local Fund Audit/Director General (Treasuries) – Member
Representative of Local Government Directorate Development – Member
Representative of BRACE Technical Assistance/Oxford Policy Management (OPM)
The Committee would:
Introduction of Public Expenditure and Financial Accountability (PEFA) in the BRACE Districts;
Carry out diagnostic study of existing Public Financial Management (PFM) Systems;
Identification of Financial Regulatory Framework;
Identification of budgetary issues/problems;
Prepare detailed activity plans, relevant to budget process;
Identification of actions under PIM component of Local Government;
Assess the departmental revenue potentials and revenue systems (collection and reporting);
Recommendations for improvements of policy and administrative framework for local revenue generation;
Review of existing budgetary documents, identification of lacunas and recommendation for financial reporting;
Identify key capacity building areas, development of modules and suggest training plans;
Suggest actions for transparency and accountability of PFM system;
Prioritization of proposed interventions on: first-come-first served” basis;
Tentative costing of activities;
Development of key performance indicators for monitoring purpose;
Provide M&E Mechanism in PFM; and
Devise mechanism for seeking donor grants through budgetary support.
WG-3: Institutionalization of Community Institutions (CIs)
The Committee would:
WG-4: Capacity Building of Local Government Sector
Director General, Balochistan Rural Development Academy (BRDA) - Chairman.
Representative of BRACE TA – Member
Representative of Finance Department - Member
Representative of Planning and Development Department – Member
Representative of Director-General, Treasury’s Office – Member
Representative of Social Welfare Department - Member
Representative of Women Development Department – Member
Representative of Academia (PITE/BUITEMS/UoB) – Member
Representative of Civil Society (NGO/Women Representative) - Member
Needs assessment of BRDA;
BRDA Training Calendar;
Development of training modules keeping in mind emerging trends;
Action plan based on activities;
Monitoring and Evaluation system;
BRDA as a centre of excellence/autonomous body for training and research; and
Community sessions for awareness.
Strategic Development Partners Forum (SDPF) is an envisaged high-level consultative platform above the SPDC and SCC that aims to guide collaboration by development partners with the GoB in terms of preparation of sectoral plans. The plans will be presented to the Donors’ Forum in Islamabad to solicit for funding for their funding. Once an action plan is agreed and started, the formal SPDF Notification will be pursued by the Planning and Development Department outlining its composition and Terms of Reference (ToR).
To effectively function, it has been suggested that the SPDF will require: institutional buy-in at Chief Minister level; establishment of a Strategic Support Unit in the Office of CM; a GoB PPT Organichart showing the total from SDPF down top WGs Integrated Development and Economic Growth Strategy; a GoB robust MTFF/MTBF system; an Secretariat to be set up in Pⅅ alignment between LG&RD Sector ADP and FD budgets; and active Sector Coordination Committees for each Thematic Area with clear Outcome Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and co-chaired by the donor. BRACE TA will provide support to the SPDF Secretariat.
The BRDA Capacity Building (CB) Plan. BRACE TA has collaborated with the BRDA to conduct a capacity assessment. Based on the main findings and recommendations from the suspended capacity assessment, the TA will work with the BRDA to prioritize, design and implement a comprehensive Capacity Building (CB) Plan including: BRDA institutional position paper/strategic plan vision /mission statements, objectives strategies programmes and financial plan; Notification of reforms aimed at strengthening the BRDA as autonomous body; updated Rules of Business/ Constitution/ Statute and Agenda/Minutes of Progress Review Meetings chaired by Secretary LG&RDD
Evidence-based Policy and Research: Under the BRACE Programme, Action Research will be carried out to support “Evidence based policy recommendations generated and disseminated to support the Local Development Policy Framework’. To achieve this aim, a research advisory committee (RAC) will serve as an advisory body for the research activities conducted under BRACE TA to provide feedback, comments and suggestions for raising the quality of the research work.
The RAC will also suggest pathways to make the research directly relevant to the development policy and practice in Balochistan, in particular improvement in the local governance. Research component of BRACE will be implemented by RSPN and DAI Human Dynamics and will be supported by BRSP, NRSP and Local Government and Rural Development Department, Government of Baluchistan. It is expected that the RAC and the research team of BRACE will work in close collaboration to enrich the planned research with contemporary development theory and practice. BRACE research, capacity-building and training are integral part of the BRACE policy reforms and findings will feed directly into the Policy Framework, reforms are also proposed to make the Local Government Act more responsive to the community’s participation and to Community-Driven Local Government